Re-run: Keith Law on Darvish vs Strasburg

by Patrick Newman (Jun 9, 2010)

On the day that Stephen Strasburg made his MLB debut, we dust
off this conversation with Keith Law, originally posted on July 7, 2009.

If you're reading this blog, there's a high probability that
you've heard of Keith Law. Keith is a veteran of
Baseball Prospectus and the Toronto Blue Jays' front office, and
currently the lead baseball analyst for ESPN's
Scouts Inc. Keith took the time to answer a few questions on how Yu
Darvish compares to Washington Nationals draftee, Stephen
Strasburg.

NPB Tracker: How does Strasburg's repertoire compare
to Darvish's?

Keith Law: Darvish shows far more pitches than
Strasburg, who has four but spent most of the spring using just two.

NT: Who do you like better mechanically?

KL: I would say Strasburg – he's easier and cleaner –
although the sheer arm speed puts us into uncertain territory with
Strasburg. We have little experience with starters who throw that hard
and get their arms going that fast.

NT: If you had to choose one of the two pitchers for
an MLB rotation this year, who would it be?

KL: I don't think there's a wrong answer here, but
I'd take Darvish, given his experience facing a higher level of
competition.

NT: Which of the two has the higher upside, and why?

KL: That's a good question and I have gone back and
forth on this. I think Strasburg's fastball and hard curve rate well
ahead of Darvish's top two pitches, so I'd take Strasburg.